Plains State Bank announces the addition of seasoned lender Tim George to their staff. Tim will operate from the Great Bend Loan Production Office located at 2700 10th Street in Great Bend. Tim brings to Plains State Bank over 35 years of agricultural lending experience. Tim is a graduate of Pittsburg State University with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. He is retired from the Kansas National Guard with 20 years of service and the rank of Major. Tim and his wife Teresa are longtime residents of the Larned area where he is involved in many community memberships.

The professional veterinary team at Animal Medical Center is excited to introduce their newest member, Dr. Caitlyn Redding. Caitlyn grew up in Pembroke Pines, Fla. playing softball on a travel team and taking in the beaches and everglades. She graduated from Pembroke Pines Charter High School as the Vice President of her class before attending the University of Florida as a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and Animal Biology in 2011 before earning a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Kansas State University in May 2015.

HaysMed Education and The University of Kansas Medical Center Continuing Education and Professional Development and the Area Health Education Center – West, is sponsoring a Forensic Symposium 2015 on Oct. 7, at the HaysMed, Hadley Conference Rooms, 2220 Canterbury, Hays. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the program runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Employees from CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions in Great Bend recently presented checks to grant recipients of the Barton County Quality of Life Endowment, a donor advised fund at the Golden Belt Community Foundation. After submitting a letter of inquiry and presenting the needs for their funding requests, awards were given to: Central Kansas Dream Center for their cafe, Great Bend Zoological Society for the Butterfly House Accessibility Project, and USD 428 - Park Elementary for Park Elementary Playground Equipment.

Once upon a time not so very long ago, consumers desiring a customer service number would simply look it up in the phone book. The Internet age has changed everything. Now people are more likely to go online, enter the name of the business into their favorite search engine, and call the first phone number that pops up. Big mistake.

First responders, veterans and active military personnel can now get free drinks every Thursday at Perks Coffee Shoppe, 1216 Main, in Great Bend. They will be served free coffee, tea or soda between the hours of 9:30 and 11 a.m.

American kids are raised on stories about Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. The theme of these stories is that America is a place where people can take risks and reap the rewards. But a growing body of research suggests that America may not be the entrepreneurial powerhouse many think it is.